Bargain for Alabaster and other Luxor, Egypt Shopping Tips

Name of Shop: Alabaster Factory on the West Bank

Bringing home a nice alabaster vase is probably one of the best souvenirs available in Luxor. The irredescent stone makes a great conversation piece when placed on a lighted base. At the alabaster factory, workers lazily appear to be making new jars, grinding them from a single piece of stone as has been done since antiquity. The visitor can try the grinding equipment and appear like one of the workers in a photo as shown below. I wouldn't be surprised though if the actual production facility actually uses power grinders rather than the hand tools seen at the "factory". But, then again, I really don't know. Labor is surprisingly cheap in Egypt. There is plenty of stock available for purchase, and the prices really are on the cheap side by American-European standards.

What To Buy: When purchasing a vase, make sure that the stone is not too flawed with cracks. A thin wall is nice, but only to the extent that the vessel is structurally sound. After the vase is shaped, it is steeped in a hot wax solution and then polished. The wax tends to fill voids and cracks in the stone, and helps to bring out the natural beauty of the stone pattern in a permanent "wet look". Avoid appearing too interested in any particular vase, and bargain for several before selecting the one you want. Prices obviously vary by size and natural beauty of the stone and workmanship. It's extremely important to pack the vase in plenty of soft material. A broken alabaster vase is worthless. I believe that we carried ours in hand onto the airplane, and it sits now on a special base which I made from some hardwood and a flourescent lamp bulb.

What To Pay: Bargain, bargain, bargain. The Egyptians will always go lower, and most of the time they will get the better of you. On the other hand, consider the value of what such art means in your home. The effort to make a good alabaster vase

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Theme: Local Craft
Directions: West Bank road. Ask your taxi driver.
Website: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/247601/photo19.html

Name of Shop: Queen Nefertari Museum, Luxor/Cairo

Don't even think that you can get the real thing on the street, and if you try to pay big bucks in some back alley deal, you may run into trouble with the law. But, there's no need to buy cheap molded factory reproductions in Egypt as there is plenty of talent to handcraft stone. The modern Egyptians value their monuments, and it's quite possible that the fellow at the Queen Nefertari Museum is right when he claims that his objects come from estate sales. I found the shop in Luxor, but the owner appears to also have a location in Cairo.

What To Buy: Local artists create reproductions, and some of those found in the area may not be so new. I was interested in finding a reproduction using the same stone as the original. I found a decent, even if not exact, version of a Ramses II statue. Compare the photos of my reproduction with the Luxor Museum statue of Amenophis II. The shop also has supposed relief fragments, many types of tomb treasures and jewelry.

What To Pay: The prices are less negotiable than elsewhere, but still bargain hard. This guy is low key and knows how to sell his stuff.

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Theme: Art
Phone: 374702 or 374703
Address: Beside ETAP Hotel
Other Contact: Cairo Tel: 685943